The Tampa Bay Rays are one step closer to securing a new stadium deal in Hillsborough County following the release of a memorandum of understanding between the team and local officials. Speaking on The Ryan Gorman Show, Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch described the agreement as the Rays having “rounded first base,” signaling progress but stopping short of calling the deal complete.
According to Schorsch, the proposed agreement includes just under $1 billion in combined public funding from the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. When additional state-related funding tied to Hillsborough College relocation efforts is included, the total package could climb above the billion-dollar mark. “The floor is basically $976 million,” Schorsch explained, noting officials are likely to avoid publicly framing the deal as a full billion-dollar subsidy because of how politically difficult that figure sounds.
The funding proposal immediately raises concerns among critics who argue the package could become one of the most expensive publicly financed stadium deals in the country. Schorsch pointed out several unresolved issues within the non-binding memorandum, including questions surrounding accountability measures and the lack of a clawback provision if the Rays were ever to relocate after receiving public funding. He also noted that additional details involving community benefits and public service commitments still need to be clarified before final approvals move forward.
The agreement also appears to have helped resolve a political standoff involving state funding discussions in Tallahassee. Schorsch explained that local leaders and state lawmakers were effectively waiting on each other before committing funding support, creating what he described as a “chicken and egg” scenario. While speculation swirled this week following comments from attorney John Morgan and Governor Ron DeSantis about a possible move to Orlando, Schorsch said he does not believe those remarks accelerated negotiations, adding that key legislative leaders had already reached an understanding behind the scenes.
The next phase now shifts to a series of public votes from both the Hillsborough County Commission and Tampa City Council. Schorsch warned the memorandum will face intense scrutiny as officials and residents comb through the details looking for loopholes, weaknesses, and unanswered questions. While momentum is building toward a finalized stadium agreement, he emphasized the process is far from over.
For more on the Rays stadium negotiations, including the biggest unanswered questions still hanging over the proposal, listen to the full conversation on The Ryan Gorman Show.